Memories Old and New
by bsgtrekkie
Summary: What might Sharon find herself doing on a lazy Saturday?
A lazy Saturday – Sharon couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed one of those. Having been given the promise of an uninterrupted weekend compliments of Chief Taylor and having the sweetest son on the planet, who had cleaned the entire condo so she wouldn't have to on her days off, Sharon had decided to spend her day of relaxation watching old home movies. She and Andy had spent their Friday evening together and had no plans for the following day.

Feeling the pang of hunger only a lazy day could provide, Sharon had made her way to the kitchen and was deciding between leftovers and making a sandwich when she heard a knock on the door. Sharon turned her attention to the unknown guest, made her way to the door, and cautiously opened it. Her eyes immediately landed on the boyish grin of the one and only Andrew Flynn.

"Hello, beautiful," Andy greeted as he bent down to kiss Sharon on the cheek.

Sharon truly was beautiful in Andy's eyes, and everyone else's as far as he knew. Whether in her Captain's attire or as she was now— in her cardigan, t-shirt, and relaxed fit pants—she lit up a room. There was something about her spirit that just shined and made everything better.

"Hello yourself, handsome," Sharon answered. "First of all, we can do a lot better than that," she said with a mischievous smirk as she pulled him in for a tender but deep kiss. "Oh, yes, much better. Second of all, what brings you here?"

"I missed you."

"We stood right here and bid each other a very fond adieu no more than twelve hours ago," she replied with a chuckle.

"Like I said, I missed you," he answered with an almost shy tone. "I also took a chance that you would be home and not out and about with Gavin and Andrea. I made a quick stop on the way here and picked up a little something just in case I was right."

Sharon hadn't even noticed Andy was carrying a bag when she opened the door. She had been a little distracted, being lost in his smile and all. Glancing at the logo printed on the brown paper bag, she looked at Andy with a girlish twinkle in her eyes.

"Is that…"

"Yes, it is. You order it every time we go there."

"Oh, that sounds so much better than the options I was mulling over when you knocked. Come in!"

Andy laughed out loud when Sharon grabbed his free hand and tugged him inside. He barely got the door closed as she pulled him toward the dining area.

While Sharon went into the kitchen to grab drinks, Andy began to take out the salads he had brought. He would surprise her with dessert later. When he glanced up, he noticed the television was on and whatever Sharon had been watching was paused. His focus on trying to figure it out was broken when he heard Sharon's voice.

"What would you like to drink? I have lemonade, cranberry juice…"

"Water is fine. What are you watching? I can't quite make it out."

"Oh, I was feeling nostalgic and decided to watch some home movies," Sharon replied as she poured water for the both of them and walked toward him. "I'll turn that off and we can find a movie or listen to some music or just enjoy each other," she said devilishly.

"That last option sounds so very nice," Andy rumbled as he took the water-filled glasses from Sharon and placed them on the table before sweeping her into an embrace and kissing her neck, "but I think I would like to watch a few of your memories, that is, if you don't mind sharing them."

"I don't mind at all," Sharon responded, pushing herself back just enough to make eye contact with him. "I just didn't think you'd be interested. Not many people enjoy viewing old video of other people's everyday lives."

"Yeah, that's true, but if you're watching them, they made you happy. And I want to see what makes you happy."

Sharon leaned in and up to kiss Andy lightly. "You are good, Lt. Flynn. You are very, very good."

"I have to be," he answered. "I have this gorgeous Captain who likes to make sure I'm keeping in check."

With a chuckle, Sharon picked the water glasses back up and indicated with her head that they should move to the living room. "C'mon. Let's have our lunch and laugh at my kids' silliness and my '90s fashion choices."

A bit later, with the lunch dishes out of the way, Sharon sat curled into Andy's right side as he leaned into the leftmost corner of the couch. The video of one of Emily's dance recitals was coming to a close, the image of Sharon having just handed off the camera and swooping in to hug her daughter tightly and kissing the top of her head soon invaded by Ricky running in between mother and daughter seeking his own attention. When the video suddenly froze, Sharon looked up in confusion. Andy had somehow gotten the control and paused the video. When she found his face with her eyes, she saw something she had never seen before. She had seen the look of tenderness and its mixture with joy, but she had never seen the inclusion of a tinge of sadness and…tears.

"Andy, what's wrong?"

"I missed all that."

"What?"

"I missed all that, with my kids I mean. All the happy moments. I missed them. How many times could I have seen that same smile on Nicole's face? How many ballgames could I have cheered her and my son on in? How many memories did I throw away?"

"A lot."

Andy sat up a bit straighter and looked at Sharon in nothing less than shock when she provided that answer. Sharon sat up and looked at him in return.

"You missed a lot, Andy. You know that. Your kids know that. I know that." She looked at the freeze frame with her own look of sadness.

"Of course, you know. Your kids do too, I bet. I'm guessing Jack isn't the one taking the video there, huh?"

"No, it isn't Jack. I think it may have been one of the other parents. I can't quite remember."

"Seeing all this from new eyes, I can't imagine what I put my family through." Andy rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and stretched out, a sigh escaping his lips.

"It's not easy being on the other side of an addiction, but they…we…become stronger and move on, if we're lucky. Sometimes, we even get to heal."

"I don't know how I'll ever make it all up to my kids."

"You can't." Andy shot another look of surprise in Sharon's direction. Taking his hands into hers and turning herself more fully to face him, Sharon continued. "Sweetheart, you can't. You cannot go back in time and fill the void you left. You can, however, make sure the future has a much different outcome. You've already gotten off to a remarkable start with Nicole. She loves you so much and simply glows when she sees you now. Your son will come around once he lets down that stubborn wall, which I am sure he inherited from you. It's true!" she exclaimed when Andy let out a burst of laughter. "Kids love their parents, for better or for worse. I've seen it in Rusty, and I see it in Emily and Ricky, if even more so from Emily. There's always this hope that things will get better. The difference I see in these situations is that you, Andy Flynn, are making the effort to makes things better. You are doing everything you can to work toward healing. You are bringing the hope to a whole other level."

With that, Sharon brought her hands up to cup Andy's face and kissed him with gentleness and passion Andy never knew could coexist.

"Thank you," Andy said as he took Sharon's hands and kissed each knuckle. "I needed that. I guess being nostalgic went in a different direction than I thought it would. I didn't mean to bring you down."

"Are you kidding? I just found a whole new reason to love you." When Andy's eyes almost popped out of his head, Sharon laughed out loud. "Oh, don't act so surprised! Like you can't tell how I feel every time I look into your eyes! I love you, you idiot!"

"Well, thank God! Because I love you, too. I love you so much, Sharon," Andy gushed as he drew Sharon into another kiss.

Breathless after breaking their contact, Sharon picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Then, she walked over and turned on some soft jazz.

"Dance with me."

"What?"

"Dance with me," she repeated as she approached Andy and reached her hand to him. "Later on, we can call Nicole and see if she and Dean would like to join us for lunch tomorrow. It's time we start making new memories. What do you say?"

"I say I like the way you think," Andy replied as he stood to take Sharon's hand.

Sharon and Andy danced for quite some time, even after calling Nicole and making plans for the following afternoon. As they swayed to the soft music, holding each other so closely light couldn't shine between them, Andy whispered into Sharon's ear, "Say, where's the kid?"

"Rusty?" Sharon inquired as she gently massaged the back of Andy's neck with her fingertips, "He's out with Gus. He told me not to expect him back this evening. He's spending the weekend out to give me some peace and quiet." Sharon let out a soft giggle as she finished her sentence.

"Really?" Andy responded in a sing-song manner. "Hey, Sharon," he continued almost hesitantly, kissing the shell of her ear, "would you be opposed to maybe making a different kind of memory with me? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought I…with us being in love and all…"

"Andy…"

"I'll wait…"

"Andy…"

"I mean, if you'd rather…"

"Andy!"

"Yeah?"

"I'd really like to make that memory now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said with smile.

As the music played, the happy couple continued their dance until the closing of the bedroom door.


End file.
